On Wednesday, Tennis Canada announced that Sloane Stephens was awarded a wildcard for the main draw of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers. The American ace, who battled her way to the final in Montréal in 2018, will be competing in the Canadian event for the eighth time.
Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion and 2018 Roland-Garros finalist, is currently ranked World No.67. She is returning to tennis after suffering a knee injury at Wimbledon in June. Prior to the hiatus, she had gained solid momentum on clay, reaching the semifinals in Parma and the fourth round of Roland-Garros.
“We are very happy to welcome Sloane back to Canada,” affirmed Eugène Lapierre, director of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montréal. “She’s been a regular at our tournament and thrilled the crowds with her excellent performances, especially in the 2018 final against Simona Halep—a contest that was voted the best WTA match of 2018. Despite her knee injury, she remains a very talented player, and we are very much looking forward to seeing her in action on our courts.”
Like Simona Halep, Sloane Stephens received a WTA wildcard reserved for former No.1 players who were ranked in the Top 20 at the end of the last season or who have won a Grand Slam, the WTA Finals or a WTA 1000 tournament in their careers.
In addition to Halep and Stephens, three other players were given a main draw wildcard: Canadians Leylah Annie Fernandez, Rebecca Marino and Carol Zhao.
Bencic and Krejcikova withdraw
Tennis Canada also announced that newly-crowned Olympic champion Belinda Bencic (12) and Barbora Krejcikova (11) of Czechia have withdrawn from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Rebecca Peterson (55) of Sweden and Katerina Siniakova (56) of Czech Republic are now entered in the main draw.
Tickets for the National Bank Open
Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, the prestigious National Bank Open presented by Rogers attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. In 2021, the women’s event will take place at IGA Stadium in Montréal from August 7 to 15.
To purchase tickets for the tournament in Montréal, go to www.omniumbanquenationale.com.
Sportsnet is the official English broadcaster and TVA Sports is the official French broadcaster of the 2021 National Bank Open.
